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The NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences will fund four research projects related to blindness and heart conditions, and the funding marks the NCATS Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases program's first collaboration with a large drugmaker as well as its first use of stem cells. A University of California, Irvine, project will explore retinitis pigmentosa treatments using retinal progenitor cells. An Eli Lilly and Co. program will focus on the treatment of hypoparathyroidism with a long-acting parathyroid hormone analog.

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ReNeuron, which specializes in developing stem cell treatments, obtained $106 million in a private financing round. The funding will be used to support its exosome nanomedicine program for cancer treatments and cell-based programs, which are designed to treat stroke and blindness among patients with retinitis pigmentosa.

The FDA has granted fast-track status to ReNeuron's human retinal progenitor cell therapy as a treatment for retinitis pigmentosa. The company is preparing a Phase I/II trial for the therapy candidate, which was previously granted orphan drug status.

ReNeuron has filed an application with the FDA for approval to initiate a Phase I/II trial of its human retinal progenitor stem cell therapy, ReN003, in patients with retinitis pigmentosa. Preclinical studies showed that ReN003 stopped progressive eyesight loss and aided in the formation of new light receptor cells. The firm expects the trial, which will include 15 patients, to be approved this year.

Researchers at Eli Lilly & Co. will use funds from the NIH's Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases program to develop a long-acting hormone analog to treat hypoparathyroidism. The agency also announced grants for the study of LEOPARD syndrome and retinitis pigmentosa. The grants are intended to remove some financial risk from studying rare diseases and make drug development more commercially viable and attractive.

Scientists at the University of Washington in Seattle said they used induced pluripotent stem cell technology to turn stem cells derived from human skin cells into photoreceptors, or light-sensing retinal cells. These iPS cells were transplanted into a mouse retina and found to integrate with nearby tissues. The breakthrough could pave the way for new therapies for retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration and other retinal conditions.